IoT is an ever-expanding world, with every element of our lives being touched by it. From the watches on our wrist to the businesses that fuel our economy, IoT can be found everywhere.
If the scope of IoT keeps expanding, we may very well see entire careers shaped by it. As such, it’s a good idea to get people in education to learn about IoT and how it shapes the technological world.
However, do people really want to sit in a class and have IoT taught to them? Will shuffling people into a classroom and telling them how things work really engage them? IoT is a very dynamic subject, which means you can do more than just lecture people – you can show people what IoT does.
IoT in the Educational Space
History can be a boring subject for some, but what if you didn’t get your lessons from a textbook? What if you could relive historical moments in VR instead? This would help students learn about history as well as interacting with IoT at a classroom level.
Of course, we don’t have to stop there. How about digital classrooms where students can check into class from anywhere in the world? The classroom will also keep tabs on student input and show both the student and the teacher their current progress. An AI may even be able to direct both of them on how to advance their studies further.
The majority of teens these days have access to a smart phone, so why not use it? Why not have a school app that keeps up to date with lesson schedules, homework assignments, and school bus timetables? How about a system that automatically marks a student as present the moment they walk into the classroom?
The best way to get students learning about IoT is to give them convenience based on it. That way, it directly affects their quality of life and gives them something to think about as a potential career prospect.
Teaching IoT as a Subject
Schools can implement IoT into their system to help inspire students, but let’s put that aside and think about how to make an IoT class engaging. Let’s imagine there’s a class on the schedule called “IoT” — what could we put into it to make it more interesting for students?
Personally, I believe showing people graphs and diagrams of how IoT works will only bore students. IoT is best felt when it’s performed rather than read about.
As such, an IoT class could bring in a new device every week, such as an Amazon Alexa or a smartwatch. They could allow students to use it for the session, then ask them how they think it works, how it could be improved, and what the future might hold for this sort of technology.
Learning About IoT
In short, I believe that IoT education needs to be more active than passive. The world of IoT is so dynamic, simply telling people about how it works would defeat the point. It’d be akin to reading about sports instead of performing them, or learning math theory without doing sums.
By allowing students to get hands-on experience, both to improve their school life and in an educational classroom environment, I believe it’ll inspire the next generation to learn more about IoT.
How do you think we can inspire the students of today to learn about IoT? Let us know in the comments below!
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